My Superior
by Shantel Lukasik
Summary: Jim Hawkins made it with flying colors into the Interstellar Academy thanks to his skills and Captain Amelia's recommendation, but can he get through to a strict, judgemental, yet misunderstood superior officer? Jim Hawkins X OC
1. Chapter 1

Jim Hawkins couldn't believe it. He was finally at the Interstellar Academy and it was everything he had hoped it would be. The building was grand, made completely of white concrete. New students and old students alike bustled about the courtyard trying to find their group and leading superior officer. Jim made a mental not to thank Captain Amelia for her recommendation once again. Sarah Hawkins stood beside him, getting a bit teary eyed. She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Okay, you're here. Enjoy it, be good, stay out of trouble, and make friends."

Jim turned to smile at his mother. He gave her a hug. She pat the back of his head, smiling at the new short haircut he had received.

"Don't worry, mom. I'll be back for vacation. It's only a couple months."

Sarah waved sadly, watching Jim run off into the crowd of students before turning and walking home, missing him already. He, on the other hand, had a huge smile plaster to his face as he dodged through the talking people. He found the new students by the lack of noise they were creating. They were far too nervous to say much. Looking around, Jim spotted his group. The group for future spacers who had scored the highest on the entrance exams. He'd be taking a few mechanics classes as well, but he wanted to fly again like he had on the R.L.S Legacy. He'd been saddened at first when he found out he couldn't bring his new solar surfer. Jim strode over to his group and hung around the edge of the students. A shorter boy with blonde hair and grey eyes looked over at him.

"Hey! I've seen you before. Your mom runs an inn doesn't she? The…Bamboo Inn?"

Jim grinned.

"Benbow. But, yeah."

"Awesome. I live near you guys. Seen you around on that solar surfer of yours. You've got skills, man. My name is David Karven, but you can call me Dave."

"Jim. Jim Hawkins."

The two shook hands.

"So, how does your first day feel? Nervous? Exciting?"

Jim looked around again. He just couldn't get enough of the place.

"Exciting is winning for now."

Dave nodded his understanding. A group of giggling girls walked by on their way to another group and Jim and Dave both leaned over so they could watch them go. Jim's new friend whistled.

"I never expected there to be such pretty girls. I knew there were going to be a lot less than males, but dang are they smokin'."

Jim had to agree. Even though all the females wore the same uniform, which consisted of a cream jacket and a bright red, tight fitting skirt, they all looked different while still looking amazing. He was gazing after the girls when a strict voice reached his ears.

"Alright, future spacers, let's move along to your dormitory. Tony, watch the back of the group so no one wanders off."

Jim's eyes widened so he could take in the sight before him. At the head of the group wearing a blue medal was the most beautiful girl he thought he'd ever seen. Her blonde hair was tied into a high ponytail while her hair fell down to her waist. The look on her face was completely serious as she led them into the building. He gave Dave a nudge and nodded at her.

"Dibs on that one."

Dave slowly exhaled as he spotted her.

"Damn…"

A laugh from behind them alerted them to a tall, older boy with a buzz cut and kind brown eyes. They could see his hair would be black if he grew it out. He moved up closer to the guys and they noticed his blue medal.

"Good luck with that one," he grinned," She's a military girl through and through. Strict, responsible, and pretty harsh. And…she's you're main superior officer."

Dave and Jim exchanged a look.

"But she looks like she's our age," Dave noted, stroking his chin," and she sounds like a nightmare."

The guy laughed.

"That's because she _is_ your age. She's not ruthless, just tough. She takes care of and is the assistant teacher to the highest rated kids at this school. Of course she's rough! I'm your superior officer, too, but she's in charge here. Her father runs the school and she was raised strictly."

Jim looked at her thoughtfully as they all moved into the dormitory. The place looked great, but he was more interested in his superior officer.

"I'm still gonna give it a try."

The guy snorted.

"If you want to bring punishment on yourself, far be it from me to stop you. By the way, my name is Antonio Vega. Tony, as you may have heard the madam say."

"David Karven."

"Jim Hawkins."

Tony raised an eyebrow at him.

"James Hawkins? The guy who scored highest on the entrance exams _and_ got a recommendation from _the_ Captain Amelia?"

Dave looked at him in astonishment.

"No way! That was _you_?"

Jim shrugged and smiled. His mother had been so proud of him she almost passed out when she heard. There was a loud banging and they all looked over to see the girl standing up on a raised area of the floor.

"Welcome, new students, to the Interstellar Academy. I know that each and every one of you will someday be a great person in the history of this universe and maybe even beyond it. My name is Celine Griffiths. I am your leading officer. Antonio Vega is assistant leader. I hope you all will unpack the belongings of yours that have been put in your rooms. As you all are the top twenty scorers on the entrance exam, you all receive a single room. Tomorrow morning classes will begin. If anyone has question, you may hunt down Antonio or myself. Your room numbers are on the holographic screen to your left. Get a good rest tonight. You are all dismissed."

The group moved toward the left side of the room except for Jim, Dave, and Tony. Tony was pushing Jim toward Celine and David was following from pure curiosity. They stopped in front of her. Tony saluted. The beautiful blonde nodded her head and looked over the group.

"Please tell me we didn't have mischief already, Tony."

"No, ma'am. I just wanted to introduce you to our number one student."

Tony pushed Jim toward her. He blushed as she scrutinized him. He went rigid as she circled him, as if checking for a problem. She stopped in front of him again with a nod.

"James Pleiades Hawkins. I've checked up on you. I hear you were quite the rebel before getting into this school. Multiple offenses in driving in restricted air space on a solar surfer. Not to mention there was a note about you're habit of talking back to authority. I did wonder how someone like that might get a recommendation from Captain Amelia. Hmm…and I see that your ear is pierced and your hair freshly cut. I wonder what I have to expect of you."

Tony smirked as Dave and Jim gaped at the teenage girl.

"I'm David Karven!" Dave spoke up," Do you know anything about me?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Number twelve. You have an addiction to girls and talking. During your entrance exam you crashed into the supervising adult and put him into the hospital with a broken rib."

Jim looked his new friend with an eyebrow raised. Dave's face was beet red. Celine looked between the two boys.

"I hope the two of you will behave respectably at this academy during your years here. I expect greatness from each person in my group and I hope talkativeness and rebelliousness will be limited and at best non-existent."

Jim frowned at her. He felt as if he were being judged even before he'd spoken a word to the girl. Something in him made him dislike her. Celine looked down at some papers in her hand before looking back up at Jim and frowning. She leaned in a little closer, looking into his face at his clear blue eyes.

"You seem…familiar…" she seemed to say to herself.

He shrugged.

"I don't remember seeing anyone like you around Montressor."

Celine twirled her hair as she thought. Jim would have thought it was cute if he wasn't a bit annoyed by the girl.

"Montressor…hmm…"

Her mind seemed to wander off.

"Well, boys, thank you for introducing yourself. If you'll excuse me, I have things to attend to."

She marched off in the direction of the dorm room as new students dispersed. Tony grabbed the boys by the shoulders and ushered them to the screen.

"See what I meant?" he grinned.

Jim groaned.

"And I thought I'd gotten better about disliking judgmental people."

"Don't take it personally. She probably is being hard on you because you have the most potential."

"Thanks," Dave muttered, looking up at the screen," Jim! We're neighbors."

The boys grinned at each other. The year wasn't starting out to be a complete bust. They just had to survive a very serious superior officer and everything would be totally great. Right?


	2. Chapter 2

Jim rolled out of bed in the morning with a heavy sigh. It was his official first day at the Interstellar Academy. Looking around the room as he sat on his bed made him think about the room he'd left at home. It was brand new and hadn't felt like his room before he'd had to leave. The room here at the Academy was not huge, but it wasn't small. There was his bed in the corner, a window on one wall, a dresser, a closet, and a bathroom he shared with his neighbor. Dave had been coming into his room every five minutes when they first started unpacking the previous night. That guy could talk his head off. Heaving himself off the bed, Jim stumbled over to the bathroom and stared at his toothbrush. He rubbed his eyes, feeling he must be really sleepy because he was seeing two of the same toothbrush. He grabbed one of them and it seemed to giggle before becoming a super squishy pink blob.

"Wha-Morph? I told you to stay at home with mom!"

Morph floated up around Jim's head and chirped happily before rubbing itself on his cheek. He sighed, unable to be mad at the little guy.

"You need to keep out of sight if you want to stay here. But the next time we get home you're staying there."

Morph spun around his head and happily went back into Jim's room. He sighed, rubbing his head. If Officer Strict found him he would be in so much trouble. After getting ready for the day, Jim stood in front of the mirror and checked over his uniform. He smiled as he truly felt he was making his own future. The bell for the morning check rang and Jim quickly slipped out of his bedroom door and stood at attention. He didn't notice as a certain little blob of pink slid out of the room behind him. Out in the hall stood Celine and Tony, waiting as their group members scrambled out of their rooms. After exactly a minute and thirty seconds, Celine marched over to the first room with Tony in tow. She started on the end opposite of Jim, so he had to wait for at least two minutes. She had gone through the first eighteen people before she stopped at Dave's door. There wasn't anyone standing in front of it and Jim tried to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing at the irritated look on Celine's face. She looked back at Tony.

"Take a note that he will be on cafeteria cleaning duty tonight. That should make him for early morning checks in the future."

Using the master key, she opened his door and went inside. No one moved as they listened carefully. There was a shriek and a loud thud before Dave was dragged out into the hallway by his ear. The five girls in the group giggled at the sight of him. He was wearing boxers with smiley faces on them and a white undershirt.

"I couldn't change first?" he complained.

Celine glared at him and he went mute, standing up as straight as possible.

"Cadet Karven, I must ask that you do not repeat this incident. I'm sure most of us would like to spare our eyes and I'm sure you would like to avoid this type of humiliation again. I suggest asking your suite mate to help you wake up or else figure something out quickly."

Dave seemed to whither in her presence, but he knew not to say anything. Celine turned away from him and stopped in front of Jim. He gave her a wary look as she examined him closely. She grabbed his collars and straightened them a bit.

"Cadet Hawkins?"

"Yes, Officer Griffiths, ma'am?"

"Please tell me how carefully you read the school rules on…_pets_."

"Pets, ma'am?"

Celine reached around him and he heard a surprised squeak as her hand wrapped around Morph. She presented the little pink blob to him. Morph tried to escape back to Jim, but Celine had a good, yet not hard, grip on the little blob. Jim's mouth hung open for a moment.

"I…uh, he…stowed away in my luggage. I apologize."

His superior officer looked his face over once before examining the shivering pink thing in her hands.

"This is a Morph, correct, Cadet?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And its name is…?"

"Morph, ma'am."

"How creative. I'm afraid that as an unregistered pet, I must confiscate him for the time being. As he is a stowaway, I will not give out a punishment, but I do hope that you have no more pets hiding away in your room or on your person. You will come with me after your classes to get him registered before you may have him back. Do I make myself clear, Cadet Hawkins?"

"Crystal…ma'am."

She started to walk away, but Morph started to whine horrible. Looking down at the creature, she looked up at her charges.

"You are all dismissed. Classes start in ten minutes."

As everyone moved away and Dave dashed into his room to change, Celine went back over to Jim. He looked up at her in confusion. She opened her hand and let Morph go back to him. He held the little guy in his hands.

"Cadet, I see this creature is very attached to you. Please request that it stay with me for the remainder of the day. If this creature proves too untrained to do even this I will have to prohibit his presence."

Jim looked down at Morph.

"Sorry, Morph, but you need to stay with Officer Griffiths or we're both in big trouble."

He chirped unhappily, but floated over to the superior officer.

"Thank you. Now off you go, Cadet."

With a last look at Morph and Celine, Jim walked off to his first class.

That evening was their first flying class. This class in particular was full of only students from the top twenty and Celine was the assistant teacher. The teacher let her run the first day as it was a trail to see how well the class could fly. The blonde officer stood in front of the class with Tony, her obvious sidekick, at her side. He held a clipboard as she stood with her hands behind her back and Morph floating over her shoulder looking more at ease than he had earlier in the day.

"As you all may have noticed, this class takes place out here by the docks. For today's class, I will be noting any issues with your flying so that any problems may be corrected during the course of the year. You will have your choice of either a solar surfer or a long boat. This is due to the fact that this _is_ an obstacle course and it will test how quickly you all think through a problem. Cadet Karven, as you were the last to get out of bed this morning, I believe you should go first."

Jim and Tony both snickered as Dave slowly shuffled his way over to a solar surfer. Celine held out a timer in her hands and looked at Dave.

"Ready, Cadet?"

"I guess?"

She glared at him.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good. Begin."

The whole class cringed through the entire thing. He was fast, but he cut things close with a lot of the obstacles to the point many of them thought he'd go flying off and hurt himself. In his landing, he almost ran over Celine, but she had been prepared and moved away in time to avoid his crash landing. Dave shakily got up and grinned at everyone.

"I'm okay!"

There were stifled laughs as he went over to Celine. She was not as amused as the others. Tony was practically on the floor while he scribbled notes rapidly on the clipboard.

"Cadet Karven, are you sure this is a class you want to be taking? Almost everything you did was absolutely horrific. We'll have to work mostly on your timing and reaction to obstacles along with working on your control and landings. Please go back to the line."

She rubbed her forehead in irritation as she turned. Her eyes landed on Jim and he sighed.

"Cadet Hawkins. Long boat or solar surfer?"

He walked over to the long boat, hoping that everything would go well.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then begin."

His memories of flying with John Silver came back to him. He thought of that crazy old cyborg as he dodged rock formations and mechanical wheels. He remembered everything he'd been taught by the man who was what he had imagined a father should be. Tony stared in awe.

"He's fantastic! There isn't anything wrong."

Celine pet Morph absentmindedly as she watched Jim soar through the course perfectly. The little pink blob rubbed her cheek affectionately. He'd grown to like her in the few hours they'd been together.

"He'll graduate this year…" she said, quietly.

Tony looked at her in shock.

"What?"

"It's already been decided. He's graduating after he does his internship."

"But…that's like you! And you've been here since you were-"

Celine turned to glare at him.

"I know, Tony. Thank you for reminding me. Unlike him, I'm not a natural. Just a hard worker."

"Celine…"

Jim landed perfectly before them. His classmate cheered for him as he moved over to Celine.

"Well done, Cadet Hawkins. Top marks. You may leave class early and register your pet. I'll let you do it yourself."

He stared at her as she shoved Morph at him and moved over to the others, calling up the next student. Jim looked at Tony in confusion, but the older boy just smiled at him and did a shooing motion with his hands. He slowly walked away from the class, Morph looking over his shoulder at the girl.


	3. Chapter 3

Jim ran a hand through his hair as he did his homework. He was tired, but the homework was easy. It was eleven o'clock and Morph was snoozing on his bed. Looking up, Jim stared out the window. The image of Celine from that afternoon's class flashed in his mind. Her eyes had looked so depressed.

"Why do I care? She's harsh to everyone, why should I wonder how she feels?"

He sighed and laid his head on his desk. He couldn't. He thought of his mother and felt ashamed for thinking that. His mother had taught him that women's feelings were just as important as anyone elses even if the girl was horrible. Jim looked over at Morph.

"Do you know why? You were with her all day."

Morph floated over to Jim and seemed to think for a moment before morphing into a tiny figure of Celine.

"I'm not a natural. Just a hard worker," he said in a tiny Celine voice.

Jim shook his head as his pet became a blob again.

"That didn't help me at all."

He jumped as there was a loud knock on his door. Leaping up, he ran over to the door and opened it. He backed up instinctually as his eyes took in Celine's figure standing at the door. She raised an eyebrow at him at the guilty look on his face.

"Sorry to intrude so late, but I have something of important business to discuss with you, Cadet. May I…?"

Jim nodded and stepped aside so she could come into his room. She looked around as he closed the door. Morph flew over to her and rubbed her cheek happily. He missed the small smile she gave the blob. Jim moved around her and sat in his chair once again as Celine's presence took over the middle of his room. He studied her face. If he didn't know any better, she'd been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy. But she could also have been extremely tired and he was too afraid to ask.

"Cadet-"

"You could call me Jim. We're not…in class or anything."

"I-I couldn't possibly."

Jim shrugged and waited.

"Cadet Hawkins, it has been brought to my attention that you will be graduating this year as your skills at flying are…rather advanced for your age."

He blinked at her in surprise. He was that good? No one had told him that until now. Morph slid from Celine's arm to rest in the palm of her hand. She looked down at him.

"As it is only your first day here, you probably don't know that I will be graduating this year as well. For graduation, it is required that in the second half of the first semester, you must do an internship on a ship going out to space. As it is, you and I have been assigned to the same ship leaving in a month and a half."

Jim didn't see where this was going until Celine walked over to his desk and slammed her hands down on it. She gave him a hard stare.

"You, under no circumstances, will ruin this internship for me. Understood, Cadet? This is my last chance to-"

She stopped, catching her words. She stood up straight and put her hands behind her back.

"You will not ruin this for either of us."

Jim couldn't help the rage the boiled up in him. How dare she assume he would be a screw up? How dare she judge him after one day? How dare she act like she is so much better than him or anyone else? He stood up, his height giving him a slight advantage for intimidation. Yet, Celine didn't back down. He hadn't expected her to.

"What makes you think I would ruin this for you or me? You think I care about what you do? You think I'd have time to try and mess something up for you while I'm trying to make something of myself? You're rather petty to think like that, _Officer_."

Morph flew to huddle under Jim's pillow as the two glared at each other.

"You don't understand, _Cadet_. I just needed to make sure you understood-"

"Oh, I understand. Now if you would please leave my room."

"I will _not _be spoken to this way! I am your superior officer!"

"Well please leave, _your majesty_!"

Celine turned on her heels and marched to the door.

"You're on cafeteria duty for the rest of the week."

She slammed the door shut and he could hear her heels clicking angrily as she stalked away. He slumped back into his chair. Dave peeked in through the bathroom door.

"Well, that was pleasant. I take it you're not asking her to the dance then?"

Jim looked over at him.

"What dance? Isn't there enough for me to deal with?"

Dave slipped into the room and pounced onto his friend's bed. He tickled Morph, who giggled.

"The start of the year dance. Apparently it's pretty tough for guys to find a date with so few girls. I thought you'd grab a chance to ask the prettiest girl at the school."

"Yeah, if she wasn't a pain in my-"

"Now, now, Jim. Calm down."

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. He tapped his foot in thought.

"I'm going to get back at her for what she said."

"Now who is it being petty?"

Jim ignored him and stood up.

"Do you know anything she dislikes or is afraid of?"

"Why would I know? You should ask Tony for that type of information. He's like an Officer Griffith Manuel."

Dave gave his friend a concerned look as a sneaky smile spread across his lips.

"You're going to regret judging me, Madam Superior."

Morph and Dave exchanged a worried glance. Both knew Jim might be going a little too far over something so small.


	4. Chapter 4

"I don't understand what Cadet Hawkins success has to do with me!"

Celine crossed her arms angrily as she stood in front of her father's desk. The noonday sun was the only light in the room. Her father, who sat at his desk, folded his hands in front of his face. He looked nothing like his daughter with his ebony hair and neatly trimmed beard. He narrowed his eyes at his only child. She looked exceptionally like her mother, and had the same stubbornness to his irritation.

"As I've told you before, I don't believe that sixteen year olds are capable enough to graduate, at as the board is pressuring me to let you and Cadet Hawkins I cannot refuse. The slightest slip up from either of you during the internship will keep both of you here at the academy for the two extra years I feel is necessary. Besides, you don't know how to handle life outside of this school. You're useless at anything but commanding and flying."

His daughter's cheeks burned red with anger.

"It's not my fault that mother-"

The dean stood up and slammed his fists on the desk.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANOTHER WORD!"

Celine gaped at him for a moment before letting her arms drop to her sides in fists. Her head drooped and she stared at the ground.

"You hate me, don't you? You think I'll be just like her. Fly off and leave you. Maybe if you'd paid more attention to her, she wouldn't have gone with someone else-"

"WHAT DID I SAY?"

She looked up at him, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"If I get the chance, I won't come back. You don't care about _anyone_."

She turned on her heels and stalked out of the room. Just as she cleared the door, she almost ran over someone. The person gave a shriek and disappeared down the hallway before she could even brush her tears away to see who it was. Looking at her watch, she saw it was time for the special meeting she had called for in the dormitory common area.

Already there was Jim, who stood by Tony as they waited for their superior officer to arrive.

"Come on, Tony, I told you what she said. You agree it was harsh, don't you?"

"Sure, but I'm not about to tell you how to scare the living daylights out of her! She'd know it was me. No one else could tell you. It isn't like you regularly converse with the other superior officers, right? Besides, I'm going to keep saying that she has a good reason for saying what she does even if she comes off as the bad guy. You're better off just sucking it up and being a man."

"As a man, my _pride_ is injured!"

Tony sighed and leaned his head against the wall behind them. Jim put a hand on his shoulder.

"One thing. Just one. That's all I want. The most common fear you can possibly think of."

Tony looked over at Jim. He didn't want to tell him, but he felt that somehow…maybe what Celine needed most was an enemy. It might teach her how to communicate with her cadets properly.

"Ugh, spiders."

Jim looked surprised.

"Really? That's it? That's what you're going to give me?"

Tony shrugged.

"You said one common thing. So there you go."

Celine marched into the room and everyone instantly raised their hand to salute her. She basically ignored them all and moved to the center of the room.

"I'm going to try and make this meeting as short and sweet as possible. The start of the year dance is a ridiculously important dance that everyone must attend. As you are all under my charge, I require that each and every one of you learn how to-"

Dave suddenly came skidding into the room. He stopped in front of Celine and bowed his head.

"So-sorry, Officer. I-I was…uhm, personal problems, ma'am. Won't be late again. Please don't punish me!"

She rubbed her forehead.

"-dance. Mr. Karven, thank you for volunteering to go first."

"Eep? I mean, me?"

"Yes, you. Go stand to the side. Tony and I will give a demonstration before I require you to take the floor."

Tony placed a record on the record player beside him before moving through the crowd. He bowed to her and she curtseyed before he took her hand in his and placed the other on her waist. Her other hand went instantly to his shoulder and they began to move. The few girls in their group squealed with excitement as the pair moved gracefully through the middle of the open floor. Tony had become rather popular very quickly as the girls had all but hearts in their eyes as they watched him dance. Halfway through the song, they two stopped and Celine motioned Dave to join her. Tony moved over to one of the girls on the side.

"Do you know how to dance, Cadet?"

"N-n-n-no…"

Jim smirked as he watched Dave awkwardly bow in response to her curtsey. When he tried to place his hands, laughter erupted as his hand aimed a little low on her waist and he got an elbow to the gut for it before she fixed his hands and they began moving. Jim thought Dave's dancing would be like his flying, but he actually got the hang of it rather quickly. Even Celine was surprised as she let him go back to the sidelines. She scanned the crowd before spotting Jim. She narrowed her eyes and motioned him to her. He was next. He confidently strode through the people to her side.

"Can you dance?" she asked.

He only nodded before accurately placing his hands. He instantly took the lead, to her surprise, pulling her along with more force than was necessary. He grinned as he took her along at a fast pace as the music had quickened. He was surprised at how easily she followed, but her expression was concerned.

"Cadet Hawkins, maybe you should slow down a bit…"

"This is fine."

"I'm serious, Cadet…Cadet Hawkins…"

He smirked as she was starting to lose her balance. He heard Dave from the sidelines telling him to stop, but he ignored him. Part one of revenge: embarrassment. He felt her trip in her heels and he just let her go.

"JIM!"

He was a little bit surprised at the sound of her yelling his name. It sounded freakishly familiar, her shout, but he couldn't remember from where or when. He looked down at the ground. The music had cut off and the group was just staring at their superior officer who was down on the floor. There were a few murmurs of people asking how Jim might get punished, but everyone went silent as Celine slowly picked herself off the floor. Dave and Tony went over to help her, but she just shooed them off. As she stood up she brushed down and straightened her outfit. She put a hand on Tony's shoulder as she took off her heels and stood barefoot on the cold floor. Only Dave noticed when she cringed slightly from putting her right foot down. It only lasted a second as he face when back to looking stony.

"Tony, you can keep the practice going till they have class later. I might be a little late to class this evening, but I will be there."

She walked off, her head held high, and didn't bother to even look at Jim on the way out. Tony got the students back to attention as Jim and Dave moved back into the crowd. Dave shook his head at his friend.

"What? She deserved that!" Jim told him," Teach her some humility."

He was surprised at the look on Dave's face. It was actually serious.

"Jim, I didn't think you were so spiteful. Seriously, she has her own issues to deal with and now you're getting on her case. You just dropped her! If you didn't notice, she hurt her ankle."

Jim looked toward where she'd exited, but she was long gone. He turned back to his friend.

"No, she's not. You just didn't see properly. She just didn't want to trip in her heels again. Besides, I've got another trick to pull in class."

Dave leaned back against the wall, not saying anything. It wasn't his place to tell Jim what he'd heard from outside the dean's office. He just hoped that Jim would soon see the injured heart that Celine hid away from the world with all her strength.


	5. Chapter 5

"Where'd you find that?" Dave asked, appalled.

Jim was holding a glass jar with a huge black and yellow spider inside. Its legs twitched, but other than that it sat perfectly still inside it's transparent prison. The young man looked around anxiously as Celine walked around the room, answering questions for the class work they were doing. Jim had easily finished his work, as it was on the history of famous pilots. It was something he had researched on his own. He opened the lid as Celine stopped a few feet away.

"Outside. I was surprised it was just sitting there…"

Dave inched his seat away from Jim.

"Couldn't you have just had Morph pretend to be the spider instead of actually using that thing? Honestly, I think you shouldn't do it. If she's deathly afraid, she'll panic and who knows what will happen."

"It _could_ be funny."

It came. The time for the spider's release was at hand as a kid three seats away from Dave raised his hand. Jim took off the lid and threw the spider into the middle of the row of desks. Celine soon finished up with her work. As she turned, she noticed the spider scuttle toward her from the corner of her eye. Turning to look at it as it came closer, the whole class jumped as her high pitched scream ripped through the silence. She limped backwards as the arachnid moved closer. Jim, who had been laughing quietly into his hand, frowned as she limped. She'd been hiding it. He glanced at his friend who was shaking his head as the superior officer panicked. Jim's head whipped back around upon hearing a loud crash.

"GET IT AWAY!"

Celine had tripped over a chair and knocked a pile of books off of the desk behind her. She'd whacked her head against the desk and had tears from both the pain and fear in her eyes. Seeing his superior officer like this didn't have the amusing affect that Jim had expected. One of his classmates grabbed a book off the floor and slammed it down on the spider, squishing it easily. Celine sat shivering under the desk she'd run into. The guy who had killed the spider looked down at her with a disgusted look.

"Ma'am, it's dead. No big deal."

Some in the class began chattering and most of the class was laughing. The teacher tried to quiet them, but it was Tony who stood up and caught everyone's attention.

"As if you all aren't afraid of something!" he shouted, killing the talking and laughing," The next person to laugh gets detention. Any more questions?"

The class didn't look at him. Everyone's head was back in a book. When no one was watching him, Tony turned and looked at Jim disapprovingly. The younger boy looked down at the empty jar in his hands and felt guilty. The teacher went over and escorted Celine out of the room as she hung her head in humiliation. After class, Tony caught Jim outside the classroom.

"Jim, I have to request that you apologize to Celine."

Jim stared at him in shock.

"I won't! She doesn't even know it was my fault."

The older officer shook his head and scratched his cheek.

"Then you have to stop this. Celine suspected you'd cause trouble, but don't make it so that she is correct. If you do anything more to her, I will have to hold you responsible as your superior officer."

Jim sighed.

"Yes, Sir."

Tony turned and walked away as Jim caught up with Dave.

"So not funny, dude," was all his friend said as they went back to their rooms.

On the way, Jim spotted Celine sitting on a bench out in the courtyard. She was staring down at the grass. Many from her own group were passing her with giggling and whispers. He tapped Dave on the shoulder.

"I'm…going to talk to her."

Dave raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't say or do anything rude or stupid."

Jim put his hands up in surrender.

"I'll be good for now!"

Heading out of the door, he heard a couple of girls gossiping on a bench near Celine. The superior officer was obviously listening as she glanced at them a few times.

"Hehe, she'll never get a date. She's so messed up. Did you see her in class today? _Totally_ freaked out and cried instead of killing the stupid thing. I hear she'd never had a date to the dance because she's so harsh, but now we all know she's just a nutcase."

Jim saw Celine's head sink lower as he reached her. She saw his boots first and looked up at him. Her face got slightly stony when she registered that it was him, but she looked so defeated it was sad.

"Come to mock me, too, Cadet?"

Her tone made him want to snap back at her, but he just took a breath.

"Mind if I sit down?"

She glanced up at him before looking over at the girls who had been talking about her. They were staring intently. She sighed.

"That probably isn't a good idea. Rumors will start."

Jim decided not to push it, so he just went on with what he wanted to say.

"I'm sorry for dropping you earlier. I obviously hurt you and embarrassed you. And I'm sorry you had to deal with that spider."

Celine cringed at his last sentence. She shook her head.

"It was you, wasn't it?"

He didn't say anything, but that was answer enough for her.

"This is because of last night?"

Again, Jim was quiet. She looked up at him and his stomach did a guilty flip, causing him to look away from her. There was so much hurt in her expression that he couldn't bear to look at her.

"I was wrong…" he said, slowly.

"Cadet, I can't explain…how…"

Her words seemed to stick in her throat. He turned back to see her looking at the ground, her knuckles white as they gripped the edge of the bench. He was alarmed as she suddenly stood up and walked away from him.

"Please retire to your quarters, Cadet Hawkins, as it is getting late."

She walked a few steps before Jim's hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder. Her hand instinctively reached up and grabbed his wrist in an iron grip. She let go quickly as she instead pulled away. She didn't look at him.

"Yes, Cadet?"

"A-Aren't you going to punish me? Get revenge? Something?"

Celine looked at him, this time capturing Jim's attention. The look on her face was a mixture of sadness, surprise, and hurt.

"You think I am that kind of person?"

"W-well, I-…uh…"

"Cadet Hawkins, I'm not interested in playing games with people. I'm not vengeful. I am a lot of things…but not that. I believe in punishment as a learning experience. I don't get personal pleasure from someone else's pain."

Turning away, she left Jim feeling very small. And he couldn't discern if it was intentional or not.


	6. Chapter 6

Jim found Dave outside his room flirting with two females. They were the only two human girls in their group. Apparently, Dave was succeeding at charming them since they were giggling at everything he was saying. When his friend saw him, he bid the two girls farewell and followed Jim into the room.

"So, what did she say? What's your punishment?"

Jim sat down on his bed with a sigh. Morph floated over to him and rubbed his cheek in greeting.

"Dave, I'm a jerk."

His friend laughed and sat next to him.

"You noticed?"

Jim sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"She didn't even bother punishing me. She just…ugh, I just don't know."

Dave patted his shoulder.

"If it is going to bother you, just forget about it. Think about something else. Like the dance this weekend! It's gonna be greaaaat. I can hook you up with one of the girls outside. I'll go with her friend. How about it?"

"I'm not really interested. I'm going to try and do some homework. I'll think about that later."

His friend shrugged and departed via the bathroom. Jim was doing his homework well into the night. Around midnight he got a knock on his door. Rubbing his red, sleepy eyes, he marched over to the door and opened it to find Celine. He instinctually smoothed his hair down and stood up straight. She looked up at him with a stern look.

"Mr. Hawkins, apparently late night calls to you are going to become routine. Though this does not suit my tastes, I must ask that you keep all pets you acquire indoors at all times and that there be some sort of paperwork for them."

He frowned at her in confusion. He glanced at his shoulder to see Morph was there. He hadn't left the room at all that day.

"Uhm, Ma'am…?"

She looked to her left.

"I found _this_ lurking around the campus."

She moved aside and pulled something into her previous spot. Jim lost all words as a smile broke out onto his face.

"SILVER!"

"Jimbo! How you been, boy?"

The two hugged and Jim almost felt tears come to his eyes. When they let go, he spotted Celine standing off to the side.

"He snuck over our fence to see you _after_ visiting hours. He's lucky he ran into me or he'd have been in a world of trouble. Of course he mentioned he was here to see you, so what else could I do? Now, Mr. Silver, I must stress how important it is that you sign up and visit during an appropriate hour. Please make sure this visit is not extensive. I'll sign you up as a parent visitor in my group's records."

She began walking away before she stopped and turned back.

"Mr. Silver, there is…a Parent Day at the end of next month. Shall I put you on the list for attendance?"

John Silver bowed to her with a grin on his face.

"Tha' would be much appreciated, my dear."

She nodded, a slight smile on her face, and walked down the hallway. Jim couldn't seem to comprehend what had just happened. She'd let a trespasser into the school just to see him. He was happy, but surprised. Silver stomped into the room and Jim closed the door.

"How did you get her to not rip your head off?" he asked, astounded.

Silver gave him a sly grin and ruffled Jim's hair affectionately.

"You, my lad, just haven't learned how to _charm_ the ladies. I'll admit that one was the most difficult I've come upon in a good while."

The two laughed. When they stopped they just stared at each other. Jim suddenly jumped on him in a hug.

"It's really great to see you. I was afraid I wouldn't get to see you for…decades."

Silver patted his back before they parted again.

"Yeah, well, I'm back. And I wanted to let you know that as soon as I could."

There was a squeal of happiness from Jim's bed before Morph flew over and rubbed Silver's cheek. The old cyborg looked at his little friend enthusiastically.

"Morphy! Good to see you!" he exclaimed, rubbing the head of the creature.

Jim smiled at the reunion.

"How long are you staying?"

Silver gave the boy a shrug.

"I just came to get a look at ya. I have to be heading out. Your superior officer made that quite clear."

The sad look on Jim's face made Silver smile and raise the boy's chin with a beefy finger.

"Now, don't be like that. I'll be visitin' ya again. Soon. I promise. In the meantime, you be working on charming that 'dere beauty that caught me. Bit more beyond that façade of hers."

"Façade?"

Silver waved a hand at him dismissively with a knowledgeable smile on his face. With a quick hug and a salute, Jim watched his pal hurry out of sight. He leaned against the doorframe with a sigh as Celine appeared in the hallway. He watched her as she came to his door. Morph sailed over to her and sat happily on her shoulder.

"He left?"

"Yeah."

She examined his face. She noticed him sniffle and look back into his room a moment before looking back at her. She cupped Morph in her hand and placed him back on Jim's shoulder. She cleared her throat and stood up straighter.

"Bedtime, Cadet. It's late."

Jim raised an eyebrow at her.

"Is that an order?"

"More of a suggestion."

She turned with a half small on her face. She hadn't taken three steps before Jim spoke.

"He's like a father to me. I…met him on the voyage to find Treasure Planet… I know he's a criminal…but he has a good heart and…he's a better dad than I had."

Celine glanced back at him.

"Had?"

"My father left me and my mother when I was about eight years old. Some things you never quite get over…"

Celine turned back to him, her mouth slightly open. Jim watched her struggle with her thoughts for a moment before she turned back around toward her room.

"No…there are some things you don't…get over…"

Jim swallowed the urge to go over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Instead he glanced at Morph, who chirped at him in confusion. Jim sighed and put a hand on his door.

"Anyway, Officer, it meant a lot to me that you didn't turn him in and you brought him to see me. So…thank you. And I really mean that. It was…very kind of you."

She turned to him, her eyes searching his for any sarcasm. When it was obvious to her that he was being sincere, she looked down at the ground.

"You…you're welcome…Cadet. Goodnight."

She all but ran away back to her room. Jim went back into his room and sat on his bed. He lay down and Morph happily plopped onto his chest. His pet looked at him curiously as a smile broke out on his face.

"Morph. I'm turning over a new leaf tomorrow."

The pink blob chirped in confusion.

"Not only am I going to be her best student…I'm going to find out about this "façade"."

He took Morph's chirp as agreement before turning off his bedroom lights and fell asleep thinking of ways to get Celine to open up to him.


End file.
